A hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile storage device that is housed in a protective enclosure and stores digitally encoded data on one or more circular disks having magnetic surfaces. When an HDD is in operation, each magnetic-recording disk is rapidly rotated by a spindle system. Data is read from and written to a magnetic-recording disk using a read-write head that is positioned over a specific location of a disk by an actuator. A read-write head makes use of magnetic fields to write data to, and read data from, the surface of a magnetic-recording disk. A write head works by using the current flowing through its coil to produce a magnetic field. Electrical pulses are sent to the write head, with different patterns of positive and negative currents. The current in the coil of the write head produces a localized magnetic field across the gap between the head and the magnetic disk, which in turn magnetizes a small area on the recording medium.
HDDs are being manufactured which are hermetically sealed with helium inside. Further, other gases that are lighter than air have been contemplated for use as a replacement for air in sealed HDDs. There are various benefits to sealing and operating an HDD in helium ambient, for example, because the density of helium is one-seventh that of air. Hence, operating an HDD in helium reduces the drag force acting on the spinning disk stack, and the mechanical power used by the disk spindle motor is substantially reduced. Further, operating in helium reduces the flutter of the disks and the suspension, allowing for disks to be placed closer together and increasing the areal density (a measure of the quantity of information bits that can be stored on a given area of disk surface) by enabling a smaller, narrower data track pitch. The lower shear forces and more efficient thermal conduction of helium also mean the HDD will run cooler and will emit less acoustic noise. The reliability of the HDD is also increased due to low humidity, less sensitivity to altitude and external pressure variations, and the absence of corrosive gases or contaminants. However, electronic systems that require hermetically sealed internal volume (e.g., a lighter-than-air gas filled, sealed HDD or system of HDDs) need a way of connecting electrical lines through the enclosure. This is typically accomplished with a hermetic electrical connector, or electrical “feed-through”.
Increasing hard disk drive (HDD) capacity is an ever-present design goal. Increasing capacity while not degrading performance (as may be characterized by IOPS (I/O per second)) is one important design requirement, as is conservation of power. In the context of a sealed HDD, a sealed feed-through connector is needed to support the signals from internal components to the external printed circuit board (PCB). Low permeability but relatively expensive glass feed-through and low-cost but higher leak rate printed circuit board (PCB) type sealed feed-through (“PCB feed-through”) assemblies offer various approaches to a sealed feed-through electrical connector assembly. Additionally, use of a flexible type feed-through connector assembly (“flex feed-through”), such as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/005,648 entitled “Flexible Type Electrical Feed-Through” (the entire content of which is incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein), may improve the leakage issue due to a smaller size Board-to-Board (BTB) connector. However, a PCB feed-through typically has a higher leak rate than a flex feed-through, even if at a lower cost than a flex feed-through.
Any approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.